PRESS RELEASES
COUNTY OFFERS CELL PHONE RECYCLING PROGRAM AT ALL LIBRARIES
December 12, 2003 - Buffalo, NY - In a joint effort, the Erie County Department of Environment and Planning and the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL) are offering a recycling program to address the tens of thousands of cell phones no longer in use. Individuals are now able to take old cell phones to any library within the B&ECPL System. Each branch has a collection box available to the public. The local library will receive $3 for every phone returned for recycling.
“Residents have an opportunity to protect the environment and save natural resources by recycling old cellular phones. They will also help support their local library – this is a “win-win” solution,” said County Executive Joel A. Giambra.
“We are pleased to provide this service to Erie County residents,” said
B&ECPL Director Michael C. Mahaney. “Each library will determine
how best to utilize the money raised, which could translate into a special
children’s program or new materials added to the collection.”
“
As residents continue to upgrade to newer cell phones, especially during
the holiday, gift-giving season, their old, outdated cell phones end up in
desk drawers or even worse, in landfills or burned in waste incinerators,” said
Erie County Recycling Coordinator Susan Attridge.
The cell phones collected through this program will be shipped to a company that either refurbishes or recycles the components of the phone. For a complete list of B&ECPL facilities, visit the Library’s website at www.buffalolib.org or call (716) 858-8900. If you would like more information about this program or other recycling programs, please call Erie County Department of Environment and Planning at (716) 858-6996.